Linking Academics and Life
by Foxes at Night in Tailcoats
Summary: Professor Longbottom decides his Year 11 students need to take Herbology a little more seriously.


It was a rather tempestuous May. The old castle was full of sighs and shrieks and wuthering that were nothing to do with anything supernatural, but were instead the result of the violent tempests the season was producing.

The weather was affecting the students in the way all teachers everywhere could tell you about, i.e. they were practically bouncing off the walls. For one Professor in particular this was a troublesome scenario. No, scratch that, this was a nightmare.

'Please! Year 11! Please! No, Mr Cartwrite, PUT MR FORSYTH DOWN! I don't care that you were only playing, not in here, don't you chip in now Miss Shann.'

The Professor almost sank down with head in hands, but he was made of sterner stuff than this. He was constantly discovering this. It appeared that it was something that could be learnt.

'RIGHT YOU LOT, SIT DOWN! AND SHUT UP!' Ignoring the quiet 'rude' that greeted this command somewhere from the back, Professor Longbottom pointed his wand at the board. Instantly the text on it changed, the practical lesson erased and instead a research assignment appeared.

There were groans, but the Professor was adamant. They would have had their practical lesson if they had behaved. The students opened up their textbooks, still muttering rebelliously, but they knew better than to step out of line again. The house cup was too close this year for anyone to be losing points for their houses now.

Neville looked at the question on the board again. It was one from a teaching resource he had picked up from Flourish and Blotts, they were meant for homeworks or extension questions. Printed in a little book, the teacher had to only point their wand at it and say the correct incantation and the data would be transferred. Today, the random question was: 'Describe the difference between the terms Epidemic and Pandemic. Research one Epidemic that is facing the modern world today and discuss how Magic could or couldn't be used to help the problem.'

There, that should keep them occupied. Come to think of it, it was a question that even he was curious about. Neville loved the fact that plants had secrets, things that could help humankind hidden in their depths and that it was up to those that had an affinity with them to tease this knowledge out. Perhaps there was a handful of students in this current class that would go on to do this, most were not that interested.

The first hands were going up. 'Sir, Sir! Where is it, I can't find it! Sir!'

Professor Longbottom sighed a long sigh. He had only been teaching for a term before he came to realise why his nightmare teacher, Professor Snape, had acted in the way that he had. He (Neville) tried to be patient with the students, but still. .. .

For the rest of the double period he wandered up and down between the two long tables, answering questions, correcting facts and settling when the wind rattled the greenhouse windows a little too hard. The two hour were up soon, and he was exhausted from 'crowd control'. However, that true academic in him started to beg for attention, he realised that it annoyed him slightly that the students would just go away from this and treat it as a pure punishment exercise, that they would not engage any further with the topic or see the beautiful link between flora and humankind.

Neville decided to pursue this line of thought and therefore with ten minutes to go in the lesson he pointed his wand at the blackboard. The text containing the lesson was replaced with that of a homework assignment, 'Research your chosen Epidemic/Pandemic further and give clear examples on where Herbology was/could have been used. 1 foot parchment, due next Thursday'.

The students groaned, but Professor Longbottom was adamant. 'Listen', he said to them, 'Listen, this is what Herbology is ultimately about. Some of you want to go on to the medical field in some way, some of you are doing this subject for potions, which is linked. You need to start thinking of how we as humans use plants. And how we as Witches and Wizards use magic.' Here he stopped and thought for a moment, and then pointed his wand at the board again. Another line appeared, at the bottom.

'Consider how being Muggle or Magical may affect this situation, and whether knowing magic and the magical properties of plants could or could not have helped.'

The class groaned further and scrambled with their quills to notate down the latest addition. Neville stood at the front and realised his arms were firmly folded a little defensively across his chest whilst he fixed them all with a stern eye.

Oh Merlin. He really was turning into Snape. Please, no.

But at least now he understood further.

Dismissing the class, they rose, a ragtag tangled bunch tripping over each other in their haste to get out of the greenhouse. However, one remained behind.

'Professor Longbottom?'

It was Carly Claire, one of the quietest but brightest in his class.

'Yes, Miss Claire?'

'My Great-Grandmother had Polio. She had a metal calliper on her leg. I used to be scared of it as a kid. It was horrible what she went through when she was little. I'm going to research about that, it keeps coming back, we need to get rid of it.'

'Very good, Miss Claire, I look forward to your paper.' As the girl left Professor Longbottom smiled to himself. At least one student got it. Perhaps then they would go on to help find the cure. But at least they understood.


End file.
